rhizome
7th January 2008, 10:52 PM
I bought a Dremel over the holiday break. After having a careful look over their accessories and not being particularly convinced with the robustness or accuracy of the router or drill press I decided to have a go at building my own mortising/machining jig for the Dremel. With limited space and not having a shed, portability is premium for me at the moment so this seemed an ideal way to make a very versatile tool (see photos).
Having already bought some T-track and Miter Track for a planned project I thought this would make an ideal base with which to build a 2-axis jig where I could easily set depth and left-right stops. The slide blocks for both tracks are made from the white plastic I also bought with the track. There is virtually no play in this jig and with some careful setup the spindle is at 90deg to the face place.
With the router bit attached depth is limited to around 20mm which takes many fine cuts to reach however accuracy is excellent. I also plan to make a more advanced table which will allow me to clamp timber so I can machine complex tenons. I'm planing on sealing the MDF with sanding sealer to help extend the life of the jig.
Having already bought some T-track and Miter Track for a planned project I thought this would make an ideal base with which to build a 2-axis jig where I could easily set depth and left-right stops. The slide blocks for both tracks are made from the white plastic I also bought with the track. There is virtually no play in this jig and with some careful setup the spindle is at 90deg to the face place.
With the router bit attached depth is limited to around 20mm which takes many fine cuts to reach however accuracy is excellent. I also plan to make a more advanced table which will allow me to clamp timber so I can machine complex tenons. I'm planing on sealing the MDF with sanding sealer to help extend the life of the jig.